What it's Like to Commute to School Every Day for a Decade
Teen commuter rides bike to school every day for ten years, rain, snow, or shine.
by Tess Weaver Strokes Published: Jun 14, 2016
John Callahan
Bike commuting at 8,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains presents many challenges, especially when you're in second grade. Snow falls every month of the school year in Aspen, Colorado, and temperatures often drop well below zero—but the elements couldn't stop Kevin Callahan. The recent high school graduate commuted by bike to and from school every day rain, snow, or shine—for ten years.
The elevation and the weather presented significant challenges, but the route was favorable for commuting. A pedestrian bikeway beginning a few blocks from Callahan's home led to a bike path near his school; he only ever rode in traffic for a few blocks. Callahan also credits the city's bike path plowing, which allowed him to ride on mornings after big storms. Callahan's 1.7-mile route took him just 10 to 15 minutes to ride on dry roads, and a little more in the snow.
His classmates often saw Callahan arrive covered in snow or drenched in rain. The coldest temperature he remembers riding in is -23F. Instead of looking for his jacket, Callahan would often throw on a sweatshirt and ride as fast as he could to stay warm. "I used studs for a number of years, but I stopped using them around eighth grade because the bike paths are usually in better condition than the roads and the studs were just slowing me down," says Callahan, who only suffered seven or eight crashes in 11 years.
The 18-year-old, who graduated this June, says he started commuting to bond with his older brother, Hunter, who also rode to school. "It was a nice time to talk to each other before and after school."
Once he had commuted every day for an entire school year, he figured he'd continue. "There were days when I thought it would be nice to get a ride to school, but at a certain point, I thought, 'why would I miss a day?' "
Kevin Callahan is all smiles, even commuting in the snow.
Kathleen Callahan
Callahan's decade-long streak taught him perserverance and self reliance, but he admits there was another motivator: the snooze button.
"Part of the reason I ride to school is because I'm lazy," says Callahan. "It's way quicker than taking the bus, and sometimes faster than a car. That means I can sleep in later—about a half hour later than my sister." Callahan might call himself lazy, but the numbers suggest otherwise; between his first day of second grade and the last day of his senior year, Callahan racked up 1,600 round-trip bike commutes, which works out to around 5,500 total miles.
Related: How to Commute Through The Worst Weather
Kevin Callahan will be majoring in Graphic Design at Fort Lewis next Fall
Kevin Callahan
Related: Eight Reasons To Ride in the Rain
Although Kevin is the only super-commuter of the bunch, other members of his family are also passionate about bikes. Kevin's grandfather brought his father John on a cycling tour of Baja when he was 15 years old, and when Kevin reached the same age, he joined his family on a ride from Arizona to Texas and another from Crater Lake, Oregon, to San Francisco. Both John and Kevin's mom Kathleen race locally, with John completing in every Leadville Trail 100 MTB race since its inception. Kevin started racing several years ago, and helped found the Aspen High School Mountain Bike Team with his brother Hunter. He now also competes on the road.
Kevin's dad says he never needed to motivate their son to commute. "There's a toughness he's developed," says John, a former Olympic Nordic skier. "And once he started a serious training program, that carried over. He gets out and trains no matter the weather."
Callahan Racing a Time Trial
Callahan is now a Cat 2 road racer and Junior Colorado State Champion (in both the time Time Trial and Hill Climb) He's had good showings at the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico and the Valley of the Sun Stage Race in Arizona. In the fall, Callahan will join arguably the strongest collegiate cycling program in the country, at Fort Lewis College in Durango. He plans to study graphic design.
"I guess it instilled a sense of devotion," says Callahan of his bike-commuting streak. "It's the same for training—there are a lot of days it really sucks and you don't want to do it, but you have to go out and do it anyway. That's useful stuff for life."
Inspired? Check out our 21 day ride streak challenge. It's not a decade, but it's a start!
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